Actually, of considerable importance was the formation of Young Americans for Freedom. Some of the bigger names of today were members then and have now grown to and age of importance in executing and influencing conservative values. Trump is usually happy compared with Cruz, although he does tend toward hyperbole it is hyperbole that many agree with.
Regarding Stalinists after WW2, my father was fighting a communist takeover of his white collar union and other related struggles in the port of New York area. The same thing is happening now with the extreme left Marxist/Leninists trying to take over most of the left. For example infiltrating and trying to gain control in the Green Party. These are folks from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) which is a dedicated revolutionary party. This is NOT Bernie’s type of socialism/social democracy which favors the Scandinavian model rather than the Soviet/Russian model promoted by the PSL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_for_Socialism_and_Liberation
Even the Scandinavian Model will only work with a homogeneous, compulsively hard working, well educated, and authority compliant population. Having the North Sea Oil teat to suckle certainly lent false comfort to Norway. Once any one of those changes the system, a house of cards at best, becomes increasingly unsustainable.